North Carolina · $1 tickets
Best $1 North Carolina Scratch-Off Tickets
There are 4 active $1 scratch-off games in the NC Education Lottery right now. Ranked by expected return — how much, on average, comes back for every $1 spent — the best is 5X The Cash at $0.60 per $1. Updated Aug 2, 2026.
Across the 4 $1 North Carolina games with a calculable return, the strongest pays back $0.60 per $1 and the weakest $0.52 — a 8-cent gap on the dollar, averaging $0.58. The biggest prize still in play at this price is $10,000 on 5X The Cash (10 still unclaimed).
| # | Game | Price | Return / $1 | Top Prize | Est. Tickets Left | Prize Tiers Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5X The Cash#28 | $1 | $0.60 / $1 | $10,000 | 16,482,208 | 11/11 |
| 2 | Lucky 7s#40 | $1 | $0.60 / $1 | $7,000 | 8,861,761 | 14/14 |
| 3 | $5,000 Triple Play#993 | $1 | $0.58 / $1 | $5,000 | 1,490,323 | 11/11 |
| 4 | Holiday $100s#16 | $1 | $0.52 / $1 | $5,000 | 1,612,628 | 9/9 |
Even the best $1 ticket almost always returns less than $1 per $1 played. These rankings tell you which games are less bad, not which are profitable. Play for fun, not for income.